U.S. Team Experiment Will Fly On A Future Space Station Mission

Two U.S. teenagers are among the winners of the YouTube Space Lab Contest. YouTube and Lenovo, in cooperation with Space Adventures and space agencies including the NASA, the ESA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and other partners around the world, developed the initiative that challenged 14-18 year-old students to design a science experiment that can be performed in space.

The two winning experiments will be conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and live streamed on YouTube. Space Lab is part of YouTube’s larger commitment to highlighting and providing access to the wealth of educational content available on YouTube as well as Lenovo’s focus on equipping students with 21st century skills via PC technology.

"I want to congratulate the winners of the YouTube Space Lab contest for their outstanding proposals," said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver (pictured), in a written statement. "I am especially proud of the two winners from the United States, Dorothy Chen and Sara Ma, and look forward to seeing the results of their experiments after they are flown and conducted on the International Space Station during Expedition 32 and 33 this summer. Earlier today (Thursday), I had a chance to speak with Dorothy and Sara to thank them for their hard work, and salute them on behalf of NASA.

According to the Space Lab website, Dorothy and Sara say they were inspired by studies that showed how bacteria grown in space returned more infectious than their counterparts on Earth. Their experiment involves sending bacteria to the space station to see if introducing different nutrients and compounds can block their growth. If their hypothesis is correct, they suggest further studies could give us new tools to fight germs on Earth.
 
"As a national laboratory, our goal is to open up the space station to new paths for the exploration, discovery and economic development of space," Garver said. "Educating and inspiring the next generation of space explorers and scientists are among the most important things NASA can do, and these students are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. A contest like this taps into the passion of so many people who get involved, from the just over 2,000 students who submitted proposals to everyone who voted for them, and we want to encourage that passion and engagement."

FMI: www.youtube.com/spacelab